Been a bit quiet lately as sorting out things to enable me to sell some things at the markets. But, I have been storing up lots of recipes to blog when I have a spare minute.

I love Okra but only really the way we cook them in our house/family. Okra is unlike any other vegetable I’ve ever eaten and if it isn’t cooked/prepared right could be quite unpleasant. I tend to use the frozen version mainly because they aren’t that easy to get hold of here but also because the frozen ones are easier to cook. When cut up Okra is quite a gooey sticky vegetable so if you are using fresh Okra you must try and slice/chop them the day before and leave to dry out. It is also important to ensure they they are fully cooked otherwise I think they have an unpleasant texture – but that’s just my opinion.

Ingredients

This should be served as one of 2 dishes which will then feed 4 people.

I blogged the kids version of this dish the other day so thought I should update the grown-ups recipe. I love having this dish with masala omelette, and it also goes well with any of the vegetarian dishes I have blogged. This lentil has a wonderful nutty and sweet flavour. It’s also a good dish for you to serve up some lemon pickles as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

Enough for 2 people served with another dish (and enough for leftovers)

So here’s the first of many recipes that will introduce your children to Indian and spicy food. Chana dal is a great variety of dal to start with as it has a sweet and nutty flavour. If you can’t find chana dahl you could substitute with split peas. For most of the dishes I make for my kids I try and include a sweet vegetable such as a carrot so there is a familiar taste and something that will take the edge off the spices.

Ingredients:

Makes about 4 portions so I froze half of it for another day.

This is just a rough guide to quantities you should adjust as your child/children get used to the flavours

For the vaghar

1 tbsp oil

1/8 tsp of mustard seeds

pinch of hing

The rest

1/2 cup of chana dahl rinse and you could soak it in water for an hour or so to speed up the cooking process

Since my children were weaned on to solids they have been eating indian style food cooked with only the non hot spices. My boys are now 4.5 and 2, my youngest has no issue with trying spicy food but my eldest will refuse it before trying it. Probably our own fault for saying things were ‘too spicy’! So I have decided it’s about time we sorted things out and got them both on the spicy food track (only on moderate levels of course).

All of the dishes I blog for children can be cooked without the hot spices too.

I hope this section of my blog will help you vary your child’s diet and introduce so many more new flavours and ingredients that they otherwise would not taste. So many Indian spices hold great health benefits so please give these recipes a go.

I made this spinach dish a couple of weeks to accompany one of my potato dishes. It’s easy, delicious and very healthy. I also love eating this spicy spinach in a sandwich – beats ham or cheese any day.

Method

Once the sauce is ready add the prepared chicken, stir in, cover the pot and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes

After 5 minutes add some hot boiled water to thin out the sauce and cover the chicken

Simmer the chicken for a further 25-30 minutes on a low heat

Then add the potatoes and simmer until they are cooked (about 10 minutes) – add more water if required

Turn off the heat when the potatoes are done – leave to rest for 10 minutes (be careful not to over cook the potatoes they will continue to cook while you are resting the dish)

Serve with roti, bread or rice.

* if you prefer not to use a whole chicken you could use skinned drumsticks, skinned thighs or chicken breast. The dish tastes great which ever part of the chicken you use but by using a whole chicken or meat on the bone the dish is far more flavoursome!

I caught the end of Nigella’s cooking show last week and she was cooking a ‘Masala Omelette’, so I thought it was time to blog my version. It was also a great opportunity for me to try out my great new ‘Scanpan Frypan’ sent by Kitchenwaredirect. I’ve been looking for a second omelette pan that I could use on the hob, under the grill and in the oven – this one didn’t fail me.

Masala omelette is a bit of a lifesaver…..you can have it with a salad, in a sandwich or with other leftovers. If you are just cooking for one and want something tasty but effortless this is the way to go.